Hurriedly enforced new arms law challenged in court

Petitioners question legality of law, request court issue stay order.

KARACHI: While the outgoing government hurriedly enforced the Sindh Arms Act 2013 - in light of the Supreme Court orders to restore peace in city - its legality remains doubtful.

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has issued notice to the Sindh Assembly secretary, chief and law secretaries to file their comments on this by April 29. On Monday, residents Syed Sakhawat Ali and Advocate Khursheed Khan went to the high court to challenge the legality of the new law.

They submitted that the Sindh Arms Bill 2013 was tabled in the provincial assembly for a debate on February 21. “But there was no debate at all, thus the bill was bulldozed,” said the petitioners. “The then acting governor later signed the bill, converting it into law on February 27.” They claimed the law has been enforced since March 1.



According to the petitioners, the legality of the law was entirely questionable as there are many lacunas. Under Section 23(a) of the act, anyone found possessing a weapon even with a valid licence can be booked and arrested. “Such act is made an offence liable to be punished with a jail term,” they pointed out.

Sections 24 and 25 of the act also carry 10 years of jail imprisonment each, which is an injustice to those citizens who possess weapons with a valid licence, the petitioners argued. They pleaded the court call the entire record of the assembly proceedings during which the bill was presented. Till then, the operation of the arms law should be suspended, they requested.



After hearing the petition, the bench - headed by Justice Faisal Arab - issued notices to Sindh Assembly’s secretary, acting secretary, chief secretary and the law secretary to file replies by April 29.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 23^rd, 2013.